Travel + Leisure has unveiled its eighth annual A-List of 129 top travel agents, which will appear in the October issue of the magazine available on newsstands Sept. 25. T+L said its editors evaluated hundreds of candidates for this guide. This list organizes the agents by area of specialization and includes their years of experience, other specialties, consulting fees, and contact information.

T+L A-List agents also shared their insights on current travel habits and preferences. Here are some highlights: Despite the economic downturn, more families are taking multigenerational vacations to Africa, Southern Europe (Tuscany and Provence), and Greece. T+L A-Listers also cite the growing appeal of train travel from Australia to Russia to Kenya. Travel deals may not be this good again for a long time. Top five value destinations include: Chile, Argentina, Australia, South Africa, and Switzerland.

“Given the complications of life these days, along with the abundant opportunities to travel well at a good price, an experienced travel agent can make a huge difference,” said Travel + Leisure Editor-in-Chief Nancy Novogrod. “Our A-List Guide is a terrific resource for interesting travels--and stress reduction.”

T+L selected nine “super agents,” including Priscilla Alexander (Protravel International, New York City); Barbara Gallay (Linden Frosch Travel, New York City); Diane Hilliard (Hilliard & Olander Ltd., Stillwater, Minn.); Lisa Lindblad (Lisa Lindblad Travel Design, New York City); Mary Ann Ramsey (Betty Maclean Travel, Naples, Fla.); Anne Morgan Scully (McCabe World Travel, McLean, Va.); Pallavi Shah (Our Personal Guest, Inc., New York City); Jim Strong and Nancy Strong (Strong Travel, Dallas, Texas); and Valerie Ann Wilson (Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., New York City).

Travel specialists for the United States and Canada: Alaska -- Harold C. Jenkins (Corporate Vacations, American Express, Lake Forest, Ill.); Alaska -- Margret Propper (Brownell Travel, Birmingham, Ala.); Hawaii -- Carolyne Brandon (American Express Travel, Palo Alto, Calif.); Hawaii -- Julia Kostenko (Altour International, New York City); Hawaii -- Darlene Mulkewich (American Express Travel, Oak Brook, Ill.); Las Vegas -- Maria Guerrieri (Linden Frosch Travel, New York City); New York City -- Amy Glass (Protravel International, New York City); Western U.S. -- Deborah Trevino (Hobson Travel, Naperville, Ill.); and Canada -- Mark Hoyer (American Express Travel, Houston, Texas).

Travel specialists for Europe: England -- Ellen LeCompte (Sterling Brownell Travel, Richmond, Va.); England -- Tammi R. Van Volkinburgh (Private Travel Consulting Services, Raleigh, N.C.); England -- Susie Worthy (NoteWorthy Group, London, England); France -- Craig Loupassakis (Liberty Travel, Allentown, Pa.); France -- Clare Seyer (Your French Connexion, Shoreline, Wash.); Germany -- Elisabeth Landry (Century Travel, Atlanta, Ga.); Greece -- Kelly Shea (Earle Travel Co., Indianapolis, Ind.); Greece -- Christos Stergiou (TrueGreece, Maroussi, Greece); Hungary -- Nathalie Nagy (Protravel International, New York City); Ireland -- Carol Cornell (Covington Travel Inc., Fort Wayne, Ind.); Italy -- Margot Cushing (Linden Frosch Travel, New York City); Italy -- Joyce Falcone (Italian Concierge, Aspen, Colo.); Italy -- Deborah Hyte (Unique Travel Services at Altour, Los Angeles, Calif.); Italy -- Judy Nussbaum (Unique Travel of Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Fla.); Italy -- Andrea Sertoli (Select Italy, Chicago, Ill.); Italy -- Marjorie Shaw (Marjorie Shaw’s Insider’s Italy, Bronxville, N.Y.); Italy -- Sally Watkins (Century Travel, Austin, Texas); Russia -- Greg Tepper (Exeter International, Tampa Fla.); Scandinavia -- Carol Arklind (Travel Dynamics Group Inc., La Jolla, Calif.); Scandinavia -- Tor Jensen (Jensen World Travel, Wilmette, Ill.); Scotland -- F. Peter Herff II (Herff Travel Inc., San Antonio, Texas); Scotland -- Claire Schoeder (Century Travel, Atlanta, Ga.); Spain -- Virginia Irurita (Made For Spain, Madrid, Spain); Spain -- Judith Wolf (Frosch, Deerfield, Ill.); and Turkey -- Fred Poe (Poe Travel Service, Little Rock, Ark.).

Travel specialists for Latin America: Argentina -- Maita Barrenechea (Mai 10, Buenos Aires, Argentina); Belize -- Katie Nelson (Belize and Costa Rica Travel Points, Boulder, Colo.); Brazil -- Robert Betenson (Matueté Expeditions, São Paulo, Brazil); Brazil -- Jerry Greenberg (Cassis Travel Services Inc., Los Angeles, Calif.); Costa Rica -- Rachel Bockhoven (Big Five Tours & Expeditions, Stuart, Fla.); Ecuador -- Tatiana Johnston (Big Five Tours & Expeditions, Stuart, Fla.); Mexico -- Marianne Braly (Now Voyager Travel, Huntington Beach, Calif.); South America -- Carlos L. Fida (PanAmerican Tours and Travel, Salt Lake City, Utah); and South America -- Eric Sheets (Latin Excursions, Bal Harbour, Fla.).

Travel specialists for the Caribbean: Margie Hand (All Seasons Travel, Montgomery, Ala.); Janet McLaughlin (Provident Travel Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio); and Susan Shevlin (Linden Frosch Travel, New York City).

Travel specialists for Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific: Australia -- Catharina Apodac (San Diego Travel Group, San Diego, Calif.); Australia -- Cassandra Bookholder (Camelback Odyssey Travel, Phoenix, Ariz.); Australia -- Terry Coffey (Windward Travel/Tzell Travel Group, Fair Haven, N.J.); Australia -- Suzy Mercien-Ferol (Touring Treasures, Brighton, Queensland, Australia); French Polynesia -- Susanne Hamer (TravelStore, Los Angeles, Calif.); French Polynesia -- Robin Turner (American Express Travel, Chicago, Ill.); and New Zealand -- Donna Thomas (New Zealand Travel, Langhorne, Pa.).

Travel specialists for Asia: China -- Karin Hansen (Frosch, Deerfield, Ill.); China -- Guy Rubin (Imperial Tours, Beijing, China); China -- Mei Zhang (WildChina, Bethesda, Md.); Hong Kong -- Laura Woo (West University Travel, Houston, Texas); India/Sri Lanka -- Ellison Poe (Poe Travel, Little Rock, Ark.); India/Sri Lanka -- Ashish Sanghrajka (Big Five Tours & Expedition, Stuart, Fla.); Japan -- Noriko Townsend (Aggie Travel Points International, Fort Collins, Colo.); Southeast Asia -- Diane Embree (Michael’s Travel Centre, Westlake Village, Calif.); Southeast Asia -- Sandee Litwin (Litwin Travel, Los Angeles, Calif.); and Southeast Asia -- Darlene Ravin (Andavo Independent Elite, Greenwood Village, Colo.).

Travel specialists for Africa and the Middle East: Africa -- Robert Berghaier (Premier Tours, Philadelphia, Pa.); Africa -- Katie Cadar (TravelStore Platinum, Los Angeles, Calif); Africa -- Dana Welch (Travel Society, Denver, Colo.); Africa -- Joel Zack (Heritage Tours Private Travel, New York City); East Africa -- Sandy Cunningham (Uncharted Outposts Safari & Travel Company, Santa Fe, N.M.); East Africa -- Jeanie Fundora (Cox & Kings U.S.A., Tampa, Fla.); Egypt -- Malaka Hilton (Admiral Travel, Sarasota, Fla.); Israel -- Rachel Epstein (Frosch, New York City); Middle East -- Janet Moore (Distant Horizons, Long Beach, Calif.); Morocco -- Laurette de Moro (Worldview Travel, Santa Ana, Calif.); Morocco -- Michael Diamond (Heritage Tours Private Travel, New York City); Safaris -- Norman Pieters (Karell’s African Dream Vacations, Miami, Fla.); Southern Africa -- Julian Harrison (Premier Tours, Philadelphia, Pa.); Southern Africa -- Robert Malmberg (Malmberg Travel Companies, Boston, Mass.); Southern Africa -- Judy Udwin (Century Travel, Atlanta, Ga.); Southern Africa -- Phoebe Weinberg (Greatways Travel, Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.); and United Arab Emirates -- Lindsey Wallace (Linara Travel, Eagle, Idaho).

Travel specialists for cruises: Sheryl Bernstein (American Express Travel, Miami, Fla.); Kathy Falkensammer (Prestige Travel and Cruises, Las Vegas, Nev.); Betsy Patton (Betty Maclean Travel, Inc., Naples, Fla.); Anne Halsey Smith (Gayle Gillies Travel/Worldview Travel, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.); Liz Sutton (Alabama World Travel, Montgomery, Ala.); Ruth Turpin (Cruises Etc. Travel, Fort Worth, Texas); Residential Cruises -- Claudia Gordon (Betty Maclean Travel, Inc., Naples, Fla.); and World Cruises -- Lois Moran (Betty Maclean Travel, Inc., Naples, Fla.).

Travel specialists for family vacations: Family/Active -- Fontaine Denna Gatti (Travelong of Summit, Summit, N.J.); Family/Active -- Kay Merrill (Are We There Yet? Family Adventures, Larkspur, Calif.); Family/Hotels & Resorts -- Kimberly Wilson Wetty (Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., New York City); Family/Multigenerational -- Kathryn Sudeikis (All About Travel, Mission, Kan.); Family/Safaris -- Paul Largay (Largay Travel, Waterbury, Conn.); and Family/Skiing – Kathy Hannon (American Express Travel, Dallas, Texas).

Travel specialists for business travel, hotels and spas: Business Travel -- Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg (Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., New York City); Hotels -- Manny Beauregard (Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., Atlanta, Ga.); Hotels -- Bob Watson (Protravel International, Rye Brook, N.Y.); Spas -- Karen Benson (Camelback Odyssey Travel, Phoenix, Ariz.); and Spas – Maureen “Mo” Smith (Well On The Way, Hilton Head Island, S.C.).

Travel specialists for special interests: Adventure -- Betty Jo Currie (Explorations, Atlanta, Ga.); Culture & Education -- Emmanuel Burgio (Blue Parallel, Bethesda, M.D.); Culture & Education -- Margery Hunter (Rudi Steele Travel, Dallas, Texas); Culture & Education -- Paul Niskanen (Cruise Masters/Concierge Travel Advisors, Portland, Ore.); Diving -- Gene Lashley (Century Travel, Atlanta, Ga.); Fly-Fishing -- Betsy Donley (Camelback Odyssey Travel, Phoenix, Ariz.); Food/Wine -- Lynda Turley Garrett (Alpine Travel, Saratoga, Calif.); Food/Wine -- Katie McCormack Krinkie (McCabe World Travel, McLean, Va.); Gay/Lesbian -- David Rubin (DavidTravel, Corona del Mar, Calif.); Golf -- Susan Dischner (Four Seasons Travel, Savannah, Ga.); Golf -- Jani Miller (Central Travel, Toledo, Ohio); Hiking/Walking -- Doris White (Travel Dynamics, La Jolla, Calif.); Honeymoons -- Georgia Johnson (AMT American Express Travel, West Covina, Calif.); Honeymoons -- Peter Lloyd (Century Travel, Atlanta, Ga.); Hunting/Fishing -- Mollie Fitzgerald (Frontiers International Travel, Wexford, Pa.); Photography -- Janie Bullard (Distinctive Journeys, Powder Springs, Ga.); Photography -- Mark Nolting (Africa Adventure Company, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.); Private-Jet Tours -- Donna Christensen (Preferred Travel of Naples, Naples, Fla.); Skiing/Snowboarding -- Marrilee Foukal McLean (Alabama World Travel, Montgomery, Ala.); and Yachts/Villas -- Sara Ryan Duffy (SRD International, Los Angeles, Calif.).

For more recommendations from the 2009 A-List, including over-the-top requests, secret finds, and dream trips from all 129 agents, visit www.travelandleisure.com.

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